Is this terrible service or am I in the wrong?

[Lenovo]

Over a week ago my 11 month old car cut out whilst driving. I was eventually able to restart it and limped it home as I had the kids with me. I called the manufacturer’s assist line and they arranged for an orange van recovery firm to collect it. They made a mess of the replacement courtesy car and left us car less for two days (we’re a single car family).

After over a week at the garage they called me and said they had changed the fuel pump and it was ready for collection. I drove to the garage with my family and dropped them off at a retail park I then went to the garage and picked the car up.

I took it to the petrol station down the road from the garage and filled it up then drove to the retail park to get my family. A total journey time of about eight minutes. Whilst I was loading the shopping my OH noticed a strong smell of petrol around the car. I looked underneath and saw a puddle forming. Maybe not the best thing to do in hindsight but I drove the eight minutes back to the garage. I had to open the windows as the smell of petrol inside the car was getting unbearable. To me it looks like they’ve not connected a vent pipe to the top of the pump.

Unfortunately the garage had closed by the time I got back so I parked up the car, got everyone out and called the assist line again. By now fuel was flowing out from under the car and into a nearby drain.

It was then the assist line (which is run by the big orange van recovery people) told me that as I had taken the car back to a place of repair they would not attend nor would they offer me a replacement car or travel home.

I asked them how was I supposed to get my OH and kids back to my house (Over 30 miles away) which is in a rural location at quarter past six on a Sunday night and they said it wasn’t their problem as I had broken down at a place of repair and the fact the garage was closed didn’t matter. I asked to speak to a manger (hoping for someone with common sense) and was told one would call me back in 45 minutes.

45 minutes came and went and guess what no one called me so I called back. Again I asked them to please help us get home as per the manufacturer’s assistance promise but was again told no. I again asked to speak to a manger and was again told no. I then asked why I hadn’t been called back as promised and the woman said we were going in circles and she was going to terminate the call.

By this point it was getting cold so I managed to get a family member to come and collect us. As I have three kids they had to make two trips to ferry us home covering over 200 miles in the process.

I’m just wondering what to do now, I’m absolutely raging to have been left stranded thanks to a garage that rhymes with shark’s shoddy workmanship and the terrible attitude of the orange van people. If I’d driven it a mile down the road they would have collect it and got me home.

[Lenovo]

This is what I’m paying for (lifted from their website)
OEM ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE
In the event of a breakdown call OEM Roadside Assistance on 0800 xxx xxxx, lines are open 24 hours a day across the UK and Europe.

We provide cover in these situations:
Roadside Assistance
Recovery
Assistance At Home
Onward Travel
European Cover

Note the onward travel bit, I’ve taken the makers name out

[Lenovo]

I would say the fact it had a fuel leak qualified it as being broken down.

[Lenovo]

aaron-j9c9a said:

But you had driven it back to the garage, that’s the sticking point.
If you had a fuel leak they wouldn’t have expected you to drive it.

I knew my hire car was at the garage as I'd just dropped it off, so I was hoping to just hand my car back and grab the hire car and head home. Being a key worker I didn't want to miss another day off work, this morning will now be the third day I've missed because of this car.

[Lenovo]

Sheepshanks said:

I’d argue that it’s not a place of repair if it’s not open and there’s no one there to assist you.

Perhaps make a compliant to the consumer help page in the Telegraph or other similar paper.

I had this argument with the orange van people, but they were insistent a closed dealership was a place of repair. The car is currently parked right outside the main entrance to the show room with some signs informing people of what happened to me stuck behind the windows, I await the dealer's call this morning. I couldn't leave a key as the door had no letter box.

[Lenovo]

I found this in the terms and conditions:

Section A: Roadside Service provided If your vehicle breaks down within the UK more than a ¼ mile from your home, we will: 1. Send help to repair the vehicle at the roadside. This could be a permanent or temporary repair; or 2. If we are unable to repair the vehicle at the roadside, we will recover the vehicle and passengers to the nearest Citroën franchised dealer or a destination of your choice up to a maximum of 10 miles from the breakdown. If we recover the vehicle, we will reimburse you for taxi costs for passengers to continue the journey to a single destination within 20 miles. Service not provided 1. The cost of any parts; 2. The fitting of parts, including batteries, supplied by anyone other than us; or 3. Any breakdown resulting from a fault that we have previously attended and: a the original fault has not been properly repaired; or b you have not followed our advice after a temporary repair.

Great I meet all those criteria, then I found this:

3. We will not provide service where the vehicle is already at a garage or other place of repair.

I should have pushed it round the corner, I'll see what the dealer say when they discover my car.

[Lenovo]

Yep hindsight is the best type of sight. Like I say I only headed back to the garage as I was hoping to get my hire car back. I’ll know what to do next time the POS breaks down again.

[Lenovo]

vaud said:

FYI I think the fire sévices will attend a fuel leak.

E.g

https://www.shropshirefire.gov.uk/incident-type/13...

I did tell the orange van people petrol was leaking down a drain but they weren’t interested. I called 999 myself, they passed it to a Fire officer who passed it to the local council. The council called back and told me it was the dealerships responsible to report it. I did try as I was worried about the safety implications of filling a drain with fuel.

[Lenovo]

5s Alive said:

OP you're taking a lot of flack here for perhaps not making the best choices but I would also be furious in the same situation. The garage have returned an unroadworthy and potentially dangerous car. I've had similar recently as a result of an airbag recall and can sympathise. Anger is draining so take a deep breath and move on.
P.S. I'm terrible at taking my own advice.

Thanks at the time I was trying to make the best decisions

- head back to garage to let them look at it and get hire car back (I left the key to this at the dealer) so I could get to work today

- Call the assist line to get another hire car once I found the dealer was closed

The dealer called me this morning and first said I had to get the keys to them as their drivers were on holiday, when I said I can't get to you as I have no car they magically found someone who is able to collect them. I refused as I said I need a hire car arranged first. They told me they were going to call OEM assist and call me back. I've heard nothing so far. I also got a reply to my tweet to the OEM saying they were going to contact me.

Edited by Lenovo on Monday 21st June 09:43

Edited by Lenovo on Monday 21st June 09:44

[Lenovo]

vaud said:

The "key worker" status was arguably ok at the peak of the pandemic, but I don't see it's relevance right now given the low level of hospitalisations, deaths and high level of unlock; it grates a bit for many.

It grates even more for me as although I don’t work for the Nhs, I worked right through the whole lot, whilst everyone was going on about how bored they were watching Netflix my colleagues and I were putting in hours and hours of unpaid overtime as we were so busy. I suppose it doesn’t really matter now so I’ll stop mentioning it. I think I only said it once?

Anyway the hire car company called me this afternoon as the orange van people hadn’t bothered to pay them for the nine days the garage had my car for the original ‘repair’. They told me to either get the orange van people to pay or I would be liable. I called back the orange van people, the person who took my call was shocked that I was left last night and said that was not right. She told me to make a complaint and gave me their complaints email.

I’ve now given up any hope of getting a Hire car to allow me to get to work or even get out of my village. The dealer was supposed to call me back but they didn’t so I just called and told them they could collect the key. As they’re so far away they are having to relay it via another branch. I now honestly just don’t care anymore, what will be, will be.

[Lenovo]

The garage phoned me, after looking at the car apparently the pump kit from France came with the wrong seal. They are ordering another one but it won’t be here till Thursday.

I still don’t have a hire car and they won’t give me a one. I asked could they not provide me with one since they fitted the wrong part, but I was told this mistake wasn’t their fault. I did say surely the buck must stop somewhere you can’t blame Pierre in the factory for putting the wrong seal in the kit, but no it’s still not their fault.

I’ve changed a few fuel pumps in my earlier years and I don’t understand how the person changing it didn’t compare the parts before swapping, time pressures perhaps? Or possibly they nipped the seal by mistake when they were first fitting it and this is an excuse. Either way I’m still stuck at home with no car. This is now day four I’ve missed work thanks to this less than a year old car. They also said I’ll have to find my own way to the garage to collect it when it’s fixed.

With regards to previous posters asking why I was so keen to get back to the garage. I knew the original hire was there as I had just dropped off the key. I didn’t call the garage as it had just gone six and I knew there was zero chance they’d answer the phone but I was hoping I could catch them locking up. Sadly I missed them. I was keen to grab the hire car back as it took two days just to get that one in the first place.

[Lenovo]

StescoG66 said:

Place that rhymes with Shark? They most likely fked up, no surprise there, they are ste!

What gave it away! What it the shoddy workmanship or the terrible customer service?

[Lenovo]

stevemcs said:

I wouldn't say it was shoddy service, just because you haven't got a hire car doesn't mean you have received poor service.

They have admitted that they fitted the wrong seal to the pump. This has meant my car cannot be driven. I would have thought as their mistake has rendered me car less they would have provided a replacement. It’s quite ironic that the same parent company own a chain of car rental firms but yet they couldn’t offer me a car.

I’m just wondering what will happen if the replacement seal/pump kit that arrives on Thursday is the ‘wrong’ one again.

[Lenovo]

vaud said:

Also the fact that you choose to buy a car some distance from home is your decision/risk and not the dealers. Not being harsh but there have to be some limits. Suppose the dealer was 200 miles away - still fair for them to recover/deliver the car? 5-10 miles, I'd probably say yes, but further, less so.

I didn’t choose to take the car to this dealer. As I said earlier I live in a rural location (in Scotland, the whole country has low population density especially where I live). When the orange van people recovered it this was the nearest dealer they could take it to. I didn’t really choose my house with the location of a car dealer in mind.

[Lenovo]

Swampy1982 said:

Why have you missed 4 days if work? Are there no buses or taxi companies near you?

I get you are frustrated, but this thread reads like a slowly unfolding daily mail article.

My site is also rural, literally in the middle of a field so no bus service. It’s also a 60 odd mile round trip so would cost a fair bit for a taxi and before anyone says no we don’t have Uber here!

[Lenovo]

soxboy said:

Why not hire a car yourself rather than miss work and either use up holiday or not get paid?
Enterprise will deliver to your house.

This is get tempting, they have promised to have it fixed for Thursday so I’ll take it from there.

[Lenovo]

MitchT said:

I wouldn't buy the line about the hire car not being their responsibility because the wrong part being supplied wasn't their fault. It might not be their fault that the wrong part was supplied but it was their fault that the wrong part was fitted, thus triggering the chaos that ensued, so they should hold their hands up and make the situation good.

Also, if they'd noticed that the wrong part had been supplied and had to keep your car longer while the correct part was sourced, then you'd have had the original hire car for longer, whomever was to blame.

Furthermore, the dealer where you took your car is your one touchpoint for the entire supply chain, so they should accept liability for any issues experienced and, if the cost of doing so aggrieves them so much, then they should identify who in the supply chain was at fault and seek to recover their costs from that party.

Finally, it beggars belief that they expect you to collect the car at your own inconvenience when it's fixed. If I were them I'd be thoroughly ashamed by the service you've experienced. Sounds like they simply don't give a st!

Thank you, it's nice to have someone not blaming me for whats happened.

[Lenovo]

LochTay said:

Op you've sympathy from me - rurality brings issues many don't see or understand.

Sympathy as I too bought Arnold Clark, who repaired a small radiator leak on my car. And took THREE goes at either properly filling it with coolant in or connecting the pipes to new radiator properly. In the end I drove home and did it myself.

I love living where I live now, but like you say it does bring challenges, I got caught out last winter as I didn't have winter tyres, the roads around here are either not cleared or cleared last. This year I'll be fitting all seasons and just leaving them on.

[Lenovo]

vaud said:

I don't think many here are blaming you (aside from driving with fuel leaking) but rather to set expectations about what you are entitled to from a dealer versus what they might choose to do.

Your rights vs your expectations of service are connected, but slightly different.
If I bought a new RollsRoyce I'd expect a nice hire car on the spot and the wonky one taken away, etc with regular proactive updates from the dealer.
If I bought a base model Dacia I'd be surprised if the dealer and had a fault I'd be surprised if the dealer washed it after a service.

the assist package with my car includes a hire car (it isn't even a year old yet), I qualified for this the first time it broke down. After picking it and then returning it to the dealer following their failed repair I didn't qualify for it as the car was 'at a place of repair'. From reading the full terms and conditions if I'd just driven it down the road and called them again they would have had to collect it and given me a hire car. In the terms it says they will not attend more than once for the same fault but as they didn't attend at the garage, if I had moved it they would have had to come out.

I hope this lesson helps someone else in the future basically if you break down make sure you don't do it near any garage whether it's open or not.

[Lenovo]

tighnamara said:

Read his other threads he has started on house buying, gas boiler problems, COVID working.

Awesome I have a stalker! Sorry I don't tend to post when things are going great. For example one of the advantages of living in rural Scotland with the right to roam act is that there are lots of lovely places to walk, today I went for a walk with my dog and it was lovely and sunny, I saw a buzzard circling in a thermal and it looked amazing. Later on three deer ran gracefully ran across the path in front of me. As I walked across the bridge someone had built over the stream for walkers I knew I'd made the right choice in turning down that other house, even though it was next door to a main dealer.

Just for you here's a pic from the walk, bonus hot dog action.

Edited by Lenovo on Tuesday 22 June 21:59

Also to keep you updated I figured out what was wrong with the boiler, the previous owner didn't bleed the upstairs radiators so they acted like expansion vessels. When I bled them the boiler stopped working as the actual expansion vessel was holed, I managed to get one of these off ebay for less than fifty quid. Thanks for reminding me about this as I still need to add some anti corrosion treatment as the water looked a bit manky when I drained the hot water circuit. I'll stick some on my shopping list for next time I'm heading into the big smoke (assuming I eventually receive a working car back from sharks).

Edited by Lenovo on Tuesday 22 June 22:07